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Completion of grade separators delayed: Baalu

STATUS CHECK: Union Minister T.R. Baalu being briefed on an NHAI project in Chennai on Sunday.

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways T.R. Baalu on Sunday admitted that there was a delay in completion of grade separators at the Maduravoyal and Koyambedu junctions.

Mr. Baalu, who reviewed four major projects of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), pulled up the contractors and engineers for the delay. He asked them to expedite the work by deploying more workers at the Padi junction to ensure its completion by December.

The Minister inspected the work to widen the Chennai bypass phase-I (Irumbuliyur junction) and construction of phase-II and grade separators at the Maduravoyal, Koyambedu and Padi junctions.

He sought an explanation in writing from the contractor of the project at the Koyambedu junction.

Talking to mediapersons, he said the Maduravoyal project was delayed by more than one and half years due to the presence of loose soil. However, it had been set right by erecting pillars.

The work at the Padi junction was delayed due to the construction of road overbridge.

The Minister asked the engineers to work in three shifts to complete it by the month-end, so that it could be thrown open for traffic by December.

Mr. Baalu said the widening of Chennai-Tiruchi highway up to Kollidam would be completed by December and the entire stretch, barring 2-3 bridges, by January.

The four laning of Ennore-Manali Express Highway is being taken up at the cost of Rs.537 crore, spanning 30.1 km.